Frances Cole Jones, founder of Cole Media Management, has published a follow on to her original book How to Wow in order to apply the “wow concepts” in the new reality of a collapsed economy.  In her new book, Jones tries to address the needs of so many people who are seeking answers to the question of how to survive in today’s business world.  The book is called The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today’s Business World.

In The Wow Factor, Jones captures fundamental concepts broken out into three sections:

• Practice
• Know
• Do

She offers practical advice that is just common sense, but that many times get overlooked.  Attention to detail is an important attribute of successful people, and this is reflected throughout the book.  Here are some key things you must practice according to Jones:

• Break things down into manageable, discrete steps
• Make the most of social gatherings by preparing for small talk and taking notes immediately after meeting people
• Keep your office and personal appearance neat and professional
• Learn subjects outside of your main domain
• Fuel your body and mind with the proper nutrition
• Be careful with what you tell yourself – don’t break your own heart with self-deprecating thoughts

In addition to paying attention to the things you must practice in your everyday life, in order to be successful you also have to be conscientious about what you need to know:

• Know your grammar and be careful with silly mistakes that make you look unprofessional
• Find out why – ask it six times
• Know how to look professional  – avoid folksy or cutesy salutations or closings in your messages
• Know how to use silence to your advantage and when and how to interrupt
• Know how to pass unwanted invitations gracefully
• Know how to use metaphors and figures of speech to enhance your communication and image

Armed with the right knowledge, you then need to take action:

• Don’t leave anything to chance – get into the habit of creating check lists for important activities
• Setup a system for being on top of current events and technology
• Establish an online presence
• Do favors to others in order to keep them invested in your success
• Create a personal advisory board

And finally she brings it home with this very important concept:

Success is yours for the taking.  You can’t wait for someone else to tell you you’re qualified, and you definitely do not need to ask for permission.  I’ll leave you with this quote directly from the book:

“Anything is possible once you decide you’re willing to work for it; what other people think about your choice is none of your business.”

I hope this has provided just enough information to whet your appetite.  To get the full meal, you need to buy the book.